Elon Musk‘s Starlink has gained yet another airline customer as the ultra-high-speed WiFi service continues to gain popularity.
On the first day of this month’s Dubai Airshow, Emirates announced that Starlink will be available for free, starting November 23.
Business Insider previously tested Starlink on Qatar Airways‘ first flight with it last October. The connection speed peaked at 215 megabits per second, more than enough for a lag-free video call, and faster than many cable-based internet services.
Starlink functions thanks to a constellation of over 7,000 satellites, which allows internet connections in remote locations, such as flying over an ocean. The satellites are in low-earth orbit, which means faster internet speeds — but also disrupts astronomers.
Starlink isn’t the only game in town, however.
JetBlue has signed up for Amazon Leo, which functions similarly, but has only launched 150 satellites so far.
Another in-flight WiFi rival is Viasat, which is used by Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. It only has a handful of satellites in a geostationary orbit, which have a longer time delay.
While it has rivals, Starlink wants to cement its dominance. As Starlink grows in popularity, it could be that more carriers sign up to Starlink to keep up with competitors. All airlines with Starlink offer it free of charge, although some require passengers to sign up for their loyalty programs.
As of the Emirates announcement, here are all the airlines that have publicly announced plans to launch Starlink:
Aer Lingus
The Irish flag carrier is part of International Airlines Group, which announced its Starlink deal in early November. It’s set to roll out Starlink from early 2026, but plans are still being finalized across the conglomerate.
Air Baltic
Latvia’s airBaltic flies around Europe and the Middle East only using Airbus A220 jets. It was the first European airline to adopt Starlink, and hopes to complete installation on all its planes by the end of the year.
Air France
The French flag carrier announced its Starlink deal last September, available to Flying Blue loyalty members. Installation began across its fleet, including regional planes, this summer.
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand first said it was working with Starlink two years ago. It then rolled it out on two domestic aircraft in June, saying that it was “currently in the test phase.”
Alaska Airlines
After merging with Hawaiian Airlines — the first major carrier to offer Starlink — Alaska Airlines announced its deal in August. It says it will first be available next year and will be rolled out across the fleet by 2027.
British Airways
The UK flag carrier is also part of IAG. BA said it would start rolling out Starlink next year and that it would be available free of charge to all its passengers.
Emirates
Dubai’s airline is starting to roll out Starlink this month and plans to add it to all 232 in-service aircraft by mid-2027. It’s also set to operate the first double-decker Airbus A380 with the service.
FlyDubai
The Emirati budget airline also announced its Starlink deal during this month’s Dubai Airshow. It only operates Boeing 737s and plans to install Starlink on 100 of them from next year.
Iberia
The Spanish flag carrier is also part of IAG. The conglomerate said it would roll out Starlink across its fleets from 2026.
JSX
JSX is a charter airline and was the first carrier to equip Starlink back in 2023. Its fleet is mostly made up of regional Embraer jets.
Level
Level is a budget airline based in Barcelona and is part of IAG. The airline’s parent company said it would roll out Starlink from 2026.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways outpaced its regional rival, Emirates, by announcing Starlink back in May 2024. As of November, it operates the most wide-body aircraft with the service, numbering over 100. Starlink is installed on all Qatar’s Boeing 777s and is being rolled out to its Airbus A350s.
SAS
Scandinavian Airlines, or SAS, is the flag carrier for Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. It announced Starlink in January and said the rollout would begin at the end of the year. Passengers would need to sign up for its EuroBonus loyalty program for free access.
United Airlines
United Airlines was the second US airline to announce a Starlink deal, but the first of the Big Three. It has installed the service on over half of its regional planes, and is continuing to roll it out across its whole fleet. The airline says customers will get a notification before their flight if it is equipped with Starlink. Passengers need to sign up for its MileagePlus loyalty program for free access.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic was the first UK airline to announce its deal with Starlink, which it did in July. Installation is planned to start in the second half of next year. Passengers will need to sign up for the airline’s Flying Club loyalty program to use it.
Vueling
Another IAG subsidiary, Vueling is a Spanish budget airline. Its parent company said it would roll out Starlink from 2026.
WestJet
Canada’s WestJet started installing Starlink in February, and it’s now equipped on over 100 of its Boeing 737 jets. It plans for all its 737-800 and 737 Max 8s to have Starlink by the end of the year. Free access requires signing up for its loyalty program.
Zipair
Zipair is a Japanese budget airline and a subsidiary of Japan Airlines. It was an early adopter of Starlink, announcing its deal in early 2023, but doesn’t appear to have yet launched the service.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post Elon Musk wants to dominate the in-flight internet market. Here are all the airlines that now offer Starlink WiFi. appeared first on Business Insider.
